‘Venomverse’ is a universe we didn’t need, but one we can enjoy

With the release of the Venom teaser trailer, emphasis on the word “teaser,” last week, now would be as good time as any to review and discuss some of the character’s most recent works. This past fall Marvel introduced the indulgent, but entertaining five part miniseries Venomverse, and now it’s been released in a paperback. Is it good?

Eddie Brock was just doing his thing, chasing down and mauling The Jack O’Lantern when he was suddenly summoned to another Earth to join the ranks of the his fellow symbiote brethren from across the multiverse. It’s all of Marvel’s fan favorites in Venom form, going up against a new alien threat that’s challenging the extinction of their kind.

The most important question to ask when analyzing a trade like this is how does it set itself apart from the fifty other multiverse plot lines? Comic writers have been sending characters to other Earths to interact with various versions of themselves for years (Batman’s doing it again with Dark Nights: Metal right now). So does Venomverse offer us anything unique about this iteration? Well, not really, but you do get a lot of solid action and Venom splashes that will satisfy any Venom fan’s guilty pleasure.

And that’s really what it’s all about, right? It’s about giving the fans what they want, even if it means taking out a few pages of character building and allocating them for an evil alien Dr. Octopus battle against a Venom Wolverine. I mean sure, a strong and meaningful storyline is always desired, but this comic is just trying to satisfy those “What if…” fantasies such as, “What would symbiote Ghost Rider look like?” or “What if Carnage was released against an army of alien possessed superheroes?” If I get answers to questions like that, I can look the other way when it comes to pacing difficulties or quick transitions.

You get to see a good amount of top Marvel characters and even if your favorite character isn’t featured, you’ll still be entertained by the main symbiote lineup Bunn and the creative team have assembled. It’s a fun book in nature and the writing and plot development suits it so you shouldn’t approach it expecting something groundbreaking or monumental — King’s Vision it is not. Bunn provides a simple, sometimes ridiculous, but overall entertaining storyline and Coello gives us some great artwork that truly brings some of these new characters to life.

Is It Good?

It’s not groundbreaking, but Venomverse will be an entertaining ride for any Eddie Brock fans. I was pleasantly surprised with the trade, but keep your expectations quelled.

Venomverse

Is it good?

A solid example of the classic shower thought, "What if the Marvel Universe were all Venom symbiotes?" that will mildly entertain at the very least.

Coello delivers such great and wildly imaginative artwork for all of these hybrid characters

It's a simple storyline, but it's entertaining in a guilty pleasure sort of way

The simple storyline tends to border on cliche, predictable or hokey, but nonetheless enjoyable